Chris Froome survived a frightening pile-up on skid row at the Tour de France after being cleared of cheating by using an illegal skinsuit.

Three-times champion Froome and his Team Sky minder Geraint Thomas, on his maiden voyage in the Yellow Jersey after a stunning time trial triumph in Dusseldorf, were among the riders brought down in an almighty pile-up.

Froome with a phew: Britain's pre-race favourite, going for a fourth title on Le Tour, suffered gravel rash on his backside but otherwise escaped unhurt.

He was forced to abandon the race in 2014 after crashing twice in half an hour in heavy rain, but instead of Froome's worst nightmare, this latest prang has not ended his wet dreams of another party in Paris.

Froome with a phew II: Tour chiefs have cleared Team Sky of malpractice over their time trial jerseys, with go-faster vortex bubbles incorporated into the shoulders, after rival FDJ boss Frederic Grappe whimpered: “It's enhanced aerodynamics and the regulations forbid it.”

Froome with a phew III: None of the three-time champion's major rivals in the general classification clawed back any of the time he gained in his bubble-wrap skinsuit on Saturday.

In the first bunch sprint of nine likely high-speed finishes in this year's race, Mark Cavendish – yet to reach full throttle after three months out with glandular fever – came fourth behind German stage winner Marcel Kittel.

But the real drama, on the 126-mile long haul from Dusseldorf, came 18 miles from the finish shortly after the peloton had crossed over the border from Germany into Belgium.

Froome, sensibly staying near the front to limit the scope for trouble in the pack, was forced to relive his worst Tour nightmare: Crashing in the wet.

He said: “Thankfully I have no injuries - I have just lost a bit of skin on my backside – but that's the nature of the race. The conditions were slippery and every time we put the race numbers on there's a big risk that something could happen.

Froome was raving near the front of the peloton (Image: Twitter/ITV Sport)

A Team Sky rider lost control of his bike to cause the pile-up (Image: Twitter/ITV Sport)

Over 10 riders were involved in the incident (Image: Twitter/ITV Sport)

It left Froome nearly a minute off the pace (Image: Twitter/ITV Sport)

“Someone slid just a few wheels ahead of me and at those speeds you just can't avoid it. A few of us went down, including Geraint, but we didn't lose any time to our rivals and that's the main thing.”

Va Va Froome's £10,000 Pinarello machine was damaged in the crash and he had to rustle up a replacement from the Sky support car.

Thomas, who admitted it was a “massive buzz” to wear the Yellow Jersey, which he retained by five seconds, concurred: “Froomey and myself were in the first 10 or 15 riders at the front, but there was nowhere to go and we hit the deck.

“It's a harsh reminder of how stressful the Tour can be, so it was a nice bonus to stay in yellow.”

Only when the subject of Grappe's gripe about Sky's time trial skin suits was raised did Thomas's mood darken.

Froome racing during stage two of the Tour (Image: AFP)

The Team Sky riders race in a line during stage two (Image: AFP)

The FDJ performance director uncorked a bottle of Chateau Sour Grapes and claimed: “According to studies, the estimated gain is four to seven per cent. It's huge.”

World governing body UCI regulations state garments “must not be adapted in any way such that they diverge in any way from their use purely as clothing. The addition of non-essential elements or devices to clothing is prohibited.”

But race jury president Philippe Marien shrugged: “We summoned the team's sporting directors to check the jerseys. Nothing was added to them. It was an actual part of the jersey.”

Asked about his time trial vortex bubbles, Thomas snapped: “You can borrow a skinsuit if you want and see what time you do.”